Mayo County Council in Ireland has acquired Moorehall House and Estate and plans to develop the site into a nature reserve and tourist attraction.
Moorehall is the ancestral home of the authors George Augustus Moore and Maurice George Moore, as well as John Moore, who served as President of the Connacht Republic during the Irish rebellion of 1798.
The house was burned down in 1923, during the Irish Civil War, and has not been refurbished since. The estate passed to the Irish Land Commission following the death of George Moore and ended up in the hands of forestry company Coillte, which has now sold it on to Mayo County Council.
The acquisition includes the house along with a courtyard and walled garden as well as 80 acres of woodland overlooking Lough Carra.
“Moorehall is a place of exceptional history, going back many generations, the remnants [of] which are still visible on its historic landscape,” Mayo County Council Chairman Richard Finn told the Irish Times. “The acquisition of Moorehall by the council will ensure that the heritage of Moorehall is preserved not just for this generation but for future generations.”
The council will develop a master plan for the property that will include further conservation as well as restoration of the walled garden and development of a recreational park.
Image: Comhar
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/moorehall-to-become-a-major-tourist-attraction-1.3346430
